Member Avatar for manchurianCEO

Hi all,

A friend brought me this computer, it's a gateway NV53 with windows 7.

The problem was that the HDD was locked. Everytime the computer is turned on, the message "Ennter HDD User Password" appears.

For that, we got a new hard drive for it and a windows 7 installation disk. However, with the new HDD now I get the PHE-E61 error. I changed the boot order to the DVD drive with out good results. Even tried with a dvd with ubuntu and even though I hear the dvd spinning, it eventually ends up with the PHE-E61. Have reset BIOS to default values a few times.

I have put the booting from lan option at the very end of the booting order list to no avail.

When I put back the old hard drive and it consistently gives me the "Enter HDD password" message. Then I put back on the new hard drive and again PHE-E61 error.

Help!

Thank you!

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Dani AI

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Short diagnosis: that PHE‑E61 is almost certainly a typo for PXE‑E61 — the Phoenix/Intel network‑boot error shown when the BIOS falls back to network boot because it cannot find any other bootable device. It usually means the firmware didn’t see a valid bootable HDD/DVD/USB and then attempted PXE. Start by treating it as a boot‑device detection problem rather than a “BIOS virus.” (intel.com)

About the locked drive: the prompt “Enter HDD User Password” is the drive’s ATA security feature (password lives in the drive firmware). Removing the CMOS battery won’t clear that — the lock stays with the disk. Unlocking requires the correct password or specialised vendor/forensic tools; if the data is not needed the practical solution is to replace the drive. For data recovery you’ll need commercial-level tools or a service. (github.com)

Why Linux boots but Windows media doesn’t: the laptop can run Mint from that DVD/USB but the Windows DVDs you tried may be unreadable, burned incorrectly, or incompatible with the current BIOS/boot mode. From Linux it’s simplest to create a Windows 7 installer USB (tools such as WoeUSB support making Windows install media from Linux). Also check the NV53 BIOS options: enable the F9/F12 boot menu, disable Network/PXE boot, enable USB boot and confirm SATA mode (AHCI/IDE) — those settings are in the NV53 service manual. (github.com)

Practical next steps:

  1. Test the Windows DVD on another PC or make a Windows USB installer from Mint (WoeUSB).
  2. Enter BIOS (F2/Esc startup menu) and disable Network/PXE, enable USB boot, use the boot menu (F9) to force the installer.
  3. If BIOS is suspected corrupt or you need a recovery flash, follow the NV53 “crisis recovery” procedure (rename the vendor file to .FD, prepare the crisis USB and use Fn+Esc+Power) or contact Gateway for the exact package — flashing with the wrong file will brick the machine.
  4. For the original locked HDD: replace it if data isn’t required; if it is, stop further writes and consult a specialist.

Note: ’s suggestion to wipe/reinstall will work for a blank/new disk, but it will not remove the ATA password on the original drive; ’s CMOS battery removal likewise won’t clear that HDD lock. ()

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for rubberman

If you don't have the original system password, then you need to do this:

  1. Wipe disc COMPLETELY. Boot from a live CD/DVD/USB Linux system - and then from a terminal command line window, run the command: dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M
  2. Create a new boot sector / partition table, or just go to #3 (it will create the boot sector / partition table for you).
  3. Install OS from CD/DVD/USB drive - I'd suggest you try a Linux distribution. It's free and will probably work better than Windoze - just my opinion.
Member Avatar for manchurianCEO

Thanks for the suggestion.
Earlier today I digged and took off the CMOS battery for a about an hour but didn't take care of the HDD password issue.

However, now, with the new HDD on, I was able to boot from a Linux Mint installation CD. (I was not able before, not with the new blank HDD)

That's good news so far since it would not boot from a windows 7 dvd.

Now, Linux Mint is still loading but the computer is not mine. If I get it to fully run on the laptop, any idea what to do next as I need to put windows 7 in it.

Taking into account that this HDD is blank, brand new.

Thanks!

Member Avatar for manchurianCEO

Additional details:

Something is logged in that computer that completely rejects windows installation disks.

Linux Mint runs like a charm, but by no means the computer will recognize any cd or DVD related to windows. After some readin, what fits best is that the motherboard has a bad ass virus lodged in.

I tried to reinstall the BIOS with a fresh copy, the problem is that I got the files from gateway but I'm stuck at how to make them run on a linux machine (since the computer has only a copy of linux in its hard drive).

So, input on this would be very appreciated.

I read some stuff about cooking up a bootable CD with the fresh BIOS and some sort of DOS emulator, but all the explanations are written in seasoned linux user language.

So, help would be very appreciated.

Thanks!

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